By Jamie Thompson
FireRescue1 Editor
DALLAS — Panasonic showcased the latest addition to its line of Toughbook mobile computers at Fire-Rescue International, aimed at the health care industry.
The Toughbook H1 is the first fully-rugged mobile clinical assistant on the market, with developers saying one of its target markets is fire and EMS agencies.
Launched toward the end of last year, the H1 features six-hour battery life, dual hot swappable batteries, standard daylight viewable screen and integrated Gobi technology for wireless wide area network (WWAN) communication in a sealed and easily-sanitized package.
“We have made huge improvements in our other products but this is a step in a new direction,” said Panasonic Business Development Manager Dave Poulin
One of the most challenging environments for the company’s devices — and in fact any devices — is specifically in the emergency medical services and rescue areas, according to Poulin.
“These workers are going to have other things to worry about than having to remember to put their technology down carefully,” he said.
“They need to be able to throw it in the back of the ambulance, it could fall underneath the gurney that a patient is on, etc.”
Poulin said the H1 can be disinfected repeatedly with alcohol prep pads, Sani-Cloth Plus moist wipes and other products, ensuring that germs will be minimized when treating patients.
In addition, it has shock-mounted hard drives and internal dampeners that protect against vibrations. Furthermore, units employ a fanless design to prevent germs and bacteria from being drawn into the machine and then inadvertently circulated back into sterile environments.